Need buying advice - '69 Grande

mbwortham · Aug 8, 2004

I just started looking for a project car and spotted a '69 Grande that I thought looked like a fair deal. The asking price is $2,000. I'm going to check out the car tomorrow, but I have a tendency to impulse buy, so I figured I'd ask for advice before going to see it. Here is what I do know about it:

- V8 - the owner is unsure which motor though - my assumption is the 302
- the car was last inspected in '99 (I deduce that it must have been running then)
- will not start - just clicks from the starter with a known good battery
- current owner purchased it about 2 years ago and never got it started - sounds like it just sat under a tarp
- good straight body - primered and ready for paint
- some rust in areas such as the floorpans
- good glass all around
- new vinyl top
- needs a lot of interior work - cracked dash, etc.
- had factory A/C but the compressor has since been removed
- auto transmission
- clear title

I am no expert, but I think I could spot any obvious chassis damage - rust, shotty repairs, etc. I DO plan on trying to salvage the motor and tranny if at all possible. I guess I would be taking a bit of a gamble on the motor since the thing won't even start. For that matter there is no telling if the tranny is any good either. Would I be crazy to buy this thing, or is it worth the risk?

Is this car worth the asking price? This will be my first project car - am I getting in over my head? Also what I really would like would be a fastback with a manual tranny. This one still caught my eye for some reason. I'm not a big fan of the vinyl top though. Couldn't the vinyl be removed and the hardtop painted? What do you guys think? Should I go for it?

- Mark

WORTH · Aug 8, 2004

mbwortham said:
I just started looking for a project car and spotted a '69 Grande that I thought looked like a fair deal. The asking price is $2,000. I'm going to check out the car tomorrow, but I have a tendency to impulse buy, so I figured I'd ask for advice before going to see it. Here is what I do know about it:

- V8 - the owner is unsure which motor though - my assumption is the 302
- the car was last inspected in '99 (I deduce that it must have been running then)
- will not start - just clicks from the starter with a known good battery
- current owner purchased it about 2 years ago and never got it started - sounds like it just sat under a tarp
- good straight body - primered and ready for paint
- some rust in areas such as the floorpans
- good glass all around
- new vinyl top
- needs a lot of interior work - cracked dash, etc.
- had factory A/C but the compressor has since been removed
- auto transmission
- clear title

I am no expert, but I think I could spot any obvious chassis damage - rust, shotty repairs, etc. I DO plan on trying to salvage the motor and tranny if at all possible. I guess I would be taking a bit of a gamble on the motor since the thing won't even start. For that matter there is no telling if the tranny is any good either. Would I be crazy to buy this thing, or is it worth the risk?

Is this car worth the asking price? This will be my first project car - am I getting in over my head? Also what I really would like would be a fastback with a manual tranny. This one still caught my eye for some reason. I'm not a big fan of the vinyl top though. Couldn't the vinyl be removed and the hardtop painted? What do you guys think? Should I go for it?

- Mark

I don't know where you live, but around here 2K for a decent body is a deal. Look the body over very carefully if it is in new primer, there is a right and a wrong way to do bodywork , the magnet is your friend .

Tell us where you are and maybe someone can go with you to check it out.

Rent-A-Racer · Aug 8, 2004

It sound as if you really rather have something else. (i.e., Sportsroof w/ manual tranny.)
If I were you, I'd hold off. You'll just end up selling later to purchase what you wanted to begin with. (been there, done that.)

xoxbxfx · Aug 8, 2004

mbwortham said:
I just started looking for a project car and spotted a '69 Grande that I thought looked like a fair deal. The asking price is $2,000. I'm going to check out the car tomorrow, but I have a tendency to impulse buy, so I figured I'd ask for advice before going to see it. Here is what I do know about it:

- V8 - the owner is unsure which motor though - my assumption is the 302
- the car was last inspected in '99 (I deduce that it must have been running then)
- will not start - just clicks from the starter with a known good battery
- current owner purchased it about 2 years ago and never got it started - sounds like it just sat under a tarp
- good straight body - primered and ready for paint
- some rust in areas such as the floorpans
- good glass all around
- new vinyl top
- needs a lot of interior work - cracked dash, etc.
- had factory A/C but the compressor has since been removed
- auto transmission
- clear title

I am no expert, but I think I could spot any obvious chassis damage - rust, shotty repairs, etc. I DO plan on trying to salvage the motor and tranny if at all possible. I guess I would be taking a bit of a gamble on the motor since the thing won't even start. For that matter there is no telling if the tranny is any good either. Would I be crazy to buy this thing, or is it worth the risk?

Is this car worth the asking price? This will be my first project car - am I getting in over my head? Also what I really would like would be a fastback with a manual tranny. This one still caught my eye for some reason. I'm not a big fan of the vinyl top though. Couldn't the vinyl be removed and the hardtop painted? What do you guys think? Should I go for it?

- Mark

Save your pennies and get what you want to begin with. Like Rent-a-Racer said, you will wish you bought what you wanted and you will probably go back and do it again later.

For this deal... Sounds like a pretty good deal. Are you located in TX?? That sounds JUST LIKE a car that is for sale around here. Rust is your enemy, you will spend more time fighting that and doing body work than anything else. I would definatly use a magnet to see how much bondo is on that body. THe not starting thing sounds like an easy fix. Im guessing the guy doesnt know what he is doing (he doesnt know anything about the car) but clicking from the starter solenoid means a weak battery. One click means dead battery. Thought it may put out 14v or so, may not be enough amperage to turn the starter over. For a project it sounds good but PLAN PLAN PLAN. I cant stress that enough.

Planning - What do you want to do with the car?? Stock rebuild, weekend warrior, complete custom, restomod?? Plan waht your ultimate goal for this car is going to be and stick to it. I have changed my mind SO many times on my car and have wasted thousands of dollars becasue I didnt plan. Dont settle for something you didnt want. If you want a 408 stroker for the car, dont settle with a 347 because you will eventually sell the 347 you built and lose money and spend more on the 408 later. If you want a T56 instead of a T5, save and do it right the first time.

Start with a solid body. Get all your body work done right and then start with the motor/tranny. Do it right and build it the way you want it. You need a decent beginning to start a winner

mbwortham · Aug 8, 2004

You guys are probably right. I am gonna pass on this deal. I should wait to find something closer to what I am looking for. xoxbxfx, the car I was scoping out was in Ferris, TX - just outside of Dallas. Probably is the same one you spotted. It did seem like a good deal, and it sounded like it wouldn't be too much trouble to get it running, but you never know. Tolerances could be all outta whack... It just doesn't make much sense to invest so much time and money into something that is *almost* what I wanted. I think I do know what I am looking for now though - a '69 sportsroof with a 302 and a 4-speed manual. I'm thinkin' that combo may be hard to come by though. What do you guys think?

Plans, hmmm... I'll be honest - I haven't really done any planning yet, but I can tell you what some of my goals are. I'm not looking to do a period perfect restoration, nor am I looking to win at the dragstrip. I want to build a daily driver. Sounds boring, right? I don't want it to be a slouch though - I would like to be able to scare the hell outta somebody by opening it up from time to time. So it has to make decent power and a lot of noise when I demand it. The twist that I would like to throw into this mix is modernization. I would like to update the styling ever so slightly to kinda smooth over some of the rough edges, if you will. I would also like to take advantage of some of the advances in automotive technology to make it a better car all around - better brakes, improved suspension, etc. Anyway, I guess the search continues...

- Mark

xoxbxfx · Aug 8, 2004

mbwortham said:
You guys are probably right. I am gonna pass on this deal. I should wait to find something closer to what I am looking for. xoxbxfx, the car I was scoping out was in Ferris, TX - just outside of Dallas. Probably is the same one you spotted. It did seem like a good deal, and it sounded like it wouldn't be too much trouble to get it running, but you never know. Tolerances could be all outta whack... It just doesn't make much sense to invest so much time and money into something that is *almost* what I wanted. I think I do know what I am looking for now though - a '69 sportsroof with a 302 and a 4-speed manual. I'm thinkin' that combo may be hard to come by though. What do you guys think?

Plans, hmmm... I'll be honest - I haven't really done any planning yet, but I can tell you what some of my goals are. I'm not looking to do a period perfect restoration, nor am I looking to win at the dragstrip. I want to build a daily driver. Sounds boring, right? I don't want it to be a slouch though - I would like to be able to scare the hell outta somebody by opening it up from time to time. So it has to make decent power and a lot of noise when I demand it. The twist that I would like to throw into this mix is modernization. I would like to update the styling ever so slightly to kinda smooth over some of the rough edges, if you will. I would also like to take advantage of some of the advances in automotive technology to make it a better car all around - better brakes, improved suspension, etc. Anyway, I guess the search continues...

- Mark

that is gonna be a harder car to find and its gonna cost you twice as much as a coupe. Modern stuff would be awesome. When you get into a harder to find car, you are going to run into alot of people talking smack about modifying a hard to find car. If you live sorta close I would really suggest looking at it just to get an idea of what you are looking at. Even if you dont know what youa re looking at, you can learn to judge cars better

I have a 69 grande taht I aws gonna do a 5.4 DOHC motor with a 2002 GT interior. Well, people thought it was cool, but I couldnt ever do it to a Mach 1.

Ozsum2 · Aug 8, 2004

It all depends on what YOU like. I could never buy a 69 or 70 coupe. I just couldn't make myself pull out my wallet.

one2gamble · Aug 8, 2004

ya,ive never been a fan of the 69/70 coupe either but just watch for rust

WORTH · Aug 9, 2004

I like mine

69PaleHorse · Aug 9, 2004

Hey! I like '69/'70 coupes too! hehe

Max Power · Aug 9, 2004

If I lived in Texas, I wouldn't buy a rusty coupe for any money.

Need buying advice - '69 Grande

mbwortham

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xoxbxfx

mbwortham

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